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The Government has revealed how it intends to proceed in its reform of Britain's health and safety systems. The plans contained in the 'Good Health and safety, Good for Everyone' report unveiled by Employment Minister Chris Grayling contain proposals surrounding 3 key aspects of health and safety law:
1. Clamping down on 'rogue health and safety advisers'
The Occuaptional Safety and Health Consultants Register (OSHCR) is now open, providing businesses with easy access to advice on health and safety matters from consultants qualified to a professional standard and recognised by the participating bodies in the registration scheme. Employers can find a consultant according to keywords, county, industry or topic, free of charge.
2. Reducing health and safety inspections
Whilst the HSE will maintain its level of regulation of 'major hazard industries' like off-shore oil and chemical plants and will maintain its inspection of high-risk workplaces such as construction sites, waste and recycling sites and molten and base metal manufacturing sites, it will cut 11,000 inspections (a third of its annual total) by no longer inspecting low-risk workplaces, including those in light engineering, electrical engineering, the transport sector (e.g. air, road haulage, and docks), electricity generation and textiles, slothing and footwear manufacturing. Local authorities are responsible for health and safety regulation in generally low-risk workplaces like offices and shops. These inspections will also be cut by at least a third £65,000 per annum).
3. Making Health and Safety simpler
An immediate review of all health and safety law has been ordered with the aim of simplifying laws and reducing their burden on businesses. The HSE has already created online risk assessment tools for low-risk workplaces, but the government has now also released 'Health and Safety Made Simple', a single, easy use piece of guidance aimed at small and medium sized employers in low-risk businesses.
The proposals have been welcomed by many, however, the decision to cut inspections has been greeted with caution from health and safety organisations and anger from unions.
According to TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber: 'Removing proactive inspections means that employers can get away with ignoring the law until they kill, or seriously injure someone. This will mean an increase in deaths and injuries leading to a rush to the bottom as cowboy companies undercut responsible employers by cutting back on safety'.
The Occuaptional Safety and Health Consultants Register (OSHCR) is now open, providing businesses with easy access to advice on health and safety matters from consultants qualified to a professional standard and recognised by the participating bodies in the registration scheme. Employers can find a consultant according to keywords, county, industry or topic, free of charge.
2. Reducing health and safety inspections
Whilst the HSE will maintain its level of regulation of 'major hazard industries' like off-shore oil and chemical plants and will maintain its inspection of high-risk workplaces such as construction sites, waste and recycling sites and molten and base metal manufacturing sites, it will cut 11,000 inspections (a third of its annual total) by no longer inspecting low-risk workplaces, including those in light engineering, electrical engineering, the transport sector (e.g. air, road haulage, and docks), electricity generation and textiles, slothing and footwear manufacturing. Local authorities are responsible for health and safety regulation in generally low-risk workplaces like offices and shops. These inspections will also be cut by at least a third £65,000 per annum).
3. Making Health and Safety simpler
An immediate review of all health and safety law has been ordered with the aim of simplifying laws and reducing their burden on businesses. The HSE has already created online risk assessment tools for low-risk workplaces, but the government has now also released 'Health and Safety Made Simple', a single, easy use piece of guidance aimed at small and medium sized employers in low-risk businesses.
The proposals have been welcomed by many, however, the decision to cut inspections has been greeted with caution from health and safety organisations and anger from unions.
According to TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber: 'Removing proactive inspections means that employers can get away with ignoring the law until they kill, or seriously injure someone. This will mean an increase in deaths and injuries leading to a rush to the bottom as cowboy companies undercut responsible employers by cutting back on safety'.
